After their tussle over the Big Bang Night branding, the CBC and CTV both put up repeat programming last Saturday night as the NHL lockout disrupted Hockey Night in Canada as it continues to delay the start of the regular season.

In the end, CTV earned a rare Saturday night win against the CBC with its The Big Bang Theory comedy block.

The Big Bang Night on CTV Saturday night drew 1.24 million viewers, according to BBM Canada data.

That’s in line with the ratings that repeats for The Big Bang Theory gets weeknights.

And around 293,000 viewers tuned into a repeat on Oct. 13 of the May 10, 1979 playoff match-up between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens on CBC.

Mission accomplished, said Kirstine Stewart, executive vice president of English services at the CBC, to preserve where possible the audience and ad revenue for Hockey Night in Canada during the work stoppage.

“We’re providing a consistent home for the brand and that’s important. And beyond the over-the-air experience, the social engagement around discussion of hockey and NHL is incredibly successful and a great builder of the brand experience, which clients and audiences enjoy,” she said.

The networks may end their dueling Saturday night repeats soon enough after the league put a new offer on the table to salvage an 82-game season to start in November.

From Playback Daily